


The Space Between Trees

by Agent25



Series: One Love for the Heart [11]
Category: Black Panther (2018), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-14
Updated: 2018-05-14
Packaged: 2019-05-07 02:51:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14661792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Agent25/pseuds/Agent25
Summary: “How’d you find me?” he asked after several moments of companionable silence.“Your Kimoyo Beads.” T’Challa responded, as he knocked their bracelets together, linking them as information invisibly flowed between them.“Stalking me, are you?” Bucky teased with a bat of his eyes. “Creepy.”





	The Space Between Trees

_Chirp. Chirp. Chirp._

The forest around Bucky was alive with activity and a natural symphony of animal noises as he made his way through the thick underbrush of the forest floor. Vines and ancient roots wound throughout his feet as he sidestepped them. Sporadic, shattered beams of sunlight that had fought their way through the nearly impenetrable canopy above were cast down upon him, though most of the jungle foliage was covered in shade.

It was a muggy, humid day. Sweat was clinging to his back and beads of perspiration were popping up across his forehead. More often than not he was reaching up to wipe the sweat away as he continued on his journey.

A virtual map of the surrounding wilderness was displayed at the wrist of his vibranium hand, as he glanced down at it every so often, keeping track of his desired course. He looked up as an orange weaver – renowned for its vivid orange and black coloring – swooped down past his head before taking flight through the trees, singing its song all the while as it flittered in and out of the sunlight. To his right a young chimpanzee was peering down at him curiously as it swung back and forth from vine to vine before scurrying away into the blanket of leaves.

Earlier in the day, when he had first set out on his little quest, he had come across the nesting grounds of a band of gorillas. The great creatures hadn’t been about, but Bucky had been sure to stay out of their nests as he made his way through the sprawling jungle. It was located thirty miles northeast of the Golden City, and was the perfect place for an upcoming training exercise for Bucky’s newest crop of War Dog recruits.

So, here he was, traipsing through the rainforest marking a trail. He stopped a tree, surveyed it for several moments before deciding that it would be a phenomenal trail marker. Raising his right hand, he shot off the specialty gun for occasions such as these. A vibranium ball came shooting out, bursting out into a sleek disk as it attached itself up high to the tree bark. It shimmered purple as it lit up and a moment later Bucky’s map blinked as the new marker came online.

He looked down at the trail he was creating and nodded his approval. Next week was going to be such much fun. Not for his recruits, but for him, personally. He loved training exercises. They always got the blood flowing.

With that gleeful thought in mind, he reached for the comm in his ear and activated it. “How’s it going on your end, Wakili?”

His friend and second-in-command responded within seconds. _“Good. We’ve marked the entire western basin. We’ll be heading to the savannah next for the second stage of the trail.”_

Bucky nodded his head, even though his friend couldn’t see him. “Go on without me. I’m gonna head up to the northern ridge.”

 _“Understood.”_ It was silent for a moment, before Wakili continued speaking, humor laced through his voice. _“Let me know if you fall in a hole again.”_

Bucky immediately frowned, rolling his eyes at the playful jab. This is what he put up with on a daily basis. Where was the respect? No wonder Steve had warned him of insubordination when Bucky took on the challenge of leading the Hatut Zeraze.

“That was one time.” he scowled through gritted teeth.

 _“If you say so, White Wolf.”_ Wakili good-naturedly countered, a deep chuckle cutting across the line as it filled Bucky’s ear.

“Yeah, yeah.” he muttered as he began trekking forward. “Barnes out.”

The comm went silent as Bucky continued onward, going deeper and deeper into the vast jungle. He was as silent as the ghost story people once believed him to be, not even snapping twigs or stay branches as he stepped on them. He hiked for another hour or so, finally coming to a stop as he stumbled upon one of Wakanda’s famed landmarks.

 _Umthi Omkhulu_ , or the Big Tree as the locals called it.

It was massive in size, its diameter so thick, it’d take at least six grown men to wrap themselves around it. Standing taller than 200 feet, it towered above every other tree in the forest like a regal wooden giant. Its branches didn’t even begin sprouting until nearly 100 feet up. Bucky wandered up to its base, whistling appreciatively as he stared up the mighty timber, admiring the way it stretched up above him, dwarfing him in size.

It suddenly seemed like the perfect time for a lunch break.

And he knew just the perfect spot to eat.

Securing his backpack to his chest just with a clip, he reached into his pocket and pulled out two shiny vibranium orbs the size of a cherry. He clicked down on both, mobilizing them into action as they rested in the open palms of his hands. Black nanobots came crawling out as they wove across his hands, creating material in their wake. In less than thirty seconds he had cleverly crafted gloves on his hands that cut off at his wrists.

He turned his hands experimentally, admiring the sharp design in the light. As he looked down at his palms, he saw what looked like thousands of miniature suction cups running up and down both his palms and fingers.

Perfect for climbing.

He tentatively reached out towards the tree trunk, and watched in amazement as his hand formed to the grooved bark, sticking on like glue. Using his strength he ripped it off and looked down at the glove, finding no rips or tears.

Ha. Take that Spider-Man.

With a chuckle he placed both hands on the tree and found a foothold for his boots. He began climbing the timber, enjoying the excursion as he rose higher and higher. The forest transformed before his eyes as he traveled through the understory and up into the close-knit canopy hanging above.

When he was more than halfway up the towering tree, he swung himself onto a sturdy branch that supported even his super-human density. With a click of his hands, the gloves dissolved away, leaving him with the balls once again. He pocketed them and then made himself comfortable, back pressed against the bark, as he looked out at the awe-inspiring majesty before him. He had the best view in the house as the rainforest was laid out before him, stretching on for miles. Pockets of eerily beautiful mist were dancing across the treetops and far off in the distance he could see rain pouring down on another section of the jungle. Up here he could see the sun clearly as it shone down upon him, making him feel toasty in his camo jacket.

He let the soothing sounds of nature wash over him as he settled in, legs swinging back and forth as he straddled the tree limb. He undid his backpack straps and placed it in his lap, digging through it for lunch. He pulled out a container and heartily dug into the meat pies found there. He crunched happily into ground beef, onions and carrots, feeling the heat of turmeric on his tongue as he swallowed.

God, he really loved this place.

His lunch passed by without much fanfare when a voice called up to him from below.

“Mind if I join you?”

Bucky glanced down in surprise and through the brimming, green leaves of the canopy saw T’Challa watching him from the forest floor with a genial smile, hands cupped around his mouth. A grin split across Bucky’s face as he yelled down, “The more the merrier.”

He watched avidly as T’Challa jumped up, gracefully scaling the tree like his feline namesake. The rainforest had been a phenomenal view, but there was just something about watching T’Challa in his element that did things to Bucky.

In a blink of an eye, the king was scrambling up beside Bucky, pressing into him as they sat shoulder to shoulder, attached all the way down to their feet as their legs stretched out on the tree branch. T’Challa, unlike Bucky, hadn’t even broken a sweat in the unforgiving humidity as he lounged next to his partner.

“Hey, you.” Bucky greeted fondly. “Where’ve you been?”

T’Challa – as usual – had been absent when Bucky woke up hours ago in their bed. With his days being devoted to the care of his nation, Bucky hadn’t anticipated seeing him until dinner. No matter how busy they were (and man, were they busy), they made sure to eat dinner together. It was one of their unspoken rules. It kept them connected even in the craziness that was their lives. It was time just for the two of them when they didn’t have to be king and soldier, but could be lovers leaning one another, seeking out comfort and solace.

So Bucky was very pleasantly surprised by this new development.

“I had a meeting with the President of the United States.” T’Challa explained as he leaned back against the bark, looking out at the forest with a relaxed grin.

Bucky could only raise an eyebrow at T’Challa’s casual attire. He had ditched his extravagantly crafted dashikis and tunics and instead was in track pants and a hoodie sweater (all black, of course). The sweater was designed with three gashes across the chest, almost as if a large cat had gotten hold of him. Fashion these days. Although, Bucky had to admit, it did suit T'Challa. 

“In that?” Bucky quizzically asked. It wasn’t that T’Challa didn’t look good (he did), but it just seemed a bit nonchalant for a meeting with a fellow world leader. T’Challa was all about respect and proper protocol.

T’Challa chuckled, white teeth beaming as he smiled at Bucky, shaking his head no.

“It was a conference call with him and his Cabinet. He never saw my outfit.”

“Well,” Bucky replied with a ridiculous waggle of his eyebrows. “He was missing out.”

“Stop it.” T’Challa playfully chided him, nudging him with his shoulder. “You are a menace.”

“So I’ve been told.” He lazily smiled as he relaxed next to T’Challa, enjoying the pressure of his partner’s body pressed up against his own.

“How’d you find me?” he asked after several moments of companionable silence.

“Your Kimoyo Beads.” T’Challa responded, as he knocked their bracelets together, linking them as information invisibly flowed between them.

“Stalking me, are you?” Bucky teased with a bat of his eyes. “Creepy.”

T’Challa exasperatedly rolled his eyes, even though amusement was clear in his gaze. “You secretly love it.”

“Yeah,” Bucky agreed easily enough, “I do. Hey, have you eaten lunch yet?”

The growl that came roaring out of T’Challa’s stomach was answer enough. Bucky’s eyes narrowed as T’Challa studiously avoided his gaze, eyes focused on the leaf in his hands.

“I don’t even know why I ask.” Bucky muttered to himself as he handed over the last meat pie. “Here, take it.”

T’Challa took it, tearing into the pastry hungrily as he ate. Bucky watched him, a mother hen ever since his days of keeping Steve out of trouble back in Brooklyn. He had never been the most successful at that, but he chalked that up more to Steve’s Chihuahua-like personality and his affiliation for fist fights than any shortcomings on Bucky’s part. It was a miracle Steve even made it to Project Rebirth.

And where had that gotten them?

Trouble. A whole lotta trouble.

Although, it had also brought Bucky here (after decades of torture and imprisonment).

So, really, Bucky couldn’t be too upset with his best friend’s tenacity.

“What are you looking at?” T’Challa asked, pie finished as he wiped stray crumbs off his chest. Bucky blinked owlishly, realizing a moment too late that he had gotten swept up in his thoughts and had been caught staring.

“Your hair,” he answered after a moment, brain catching on. “It’s getting long.”

That was the truth, at the very least. He reached out, thumb pressing against T’Challa’s widow’s peak before his fingers ran through the textured coils of the king’s hair. T’Challa’s eyes slipped shut as Bucky’s fingers gently worked through the curls, caressing his scalp lightly. T’Challa hummed softly to himself, only stopping when Bucky pulled his hand back.

“It is, isn’t it?” he mused, “I will have my mother take a look. She’s been cutting my hair since I was a boy.”

He smiled gently before gazing at Bucky with affectionate eyes. “Are you done for the day or are the Hatut Zeraze expecting you?”

Bucky arched an eyebrow but raised his shoulder in a loose half-shrug. “Nothing pressing. Why?”

T’Challa’s eyes flashed conspiratorially as he suggested in a deceptively casual tone, “We could go swimming. There is a waterfall not far from here.”

Huh. Well that sounded fun. But…

“I didn’t bring a suit.” Bucky said with a downturn of his lips.

T’Challa’s grin turned positively wicked as he nodded. “Exactly.”

Bucky stared as he tried to make sense of his partner’s words.

“Oh.” It finally sank in as a quiver of excitement at all the possibilities surged through Bucky’s body. _“Oh._ Yeah, swimming could be fun.”

He quickly threw the containers in his backpack, zipping it shut before throwing it over his shoulders. When he looked up T’Challa was smiling devilishly at him, one more suggestion on his lips.

“Race you down.”

Now, there was a challenge.

A competitive gleam entered Bucky’s eyes.

“You’re on.”

And with that both took off racing down the tree, their laughter echoing all around as the day continued to pass beneath the Wakandan sun.

 

**Author's Note:**

> And another one-shot. I still have a lot of ideas brewing in my head, so expect more of these bad boys in the future. Also, I will be updating my two winterpanther multi-chapter fics this week. So be on the lookout for those! The Big Tree is a real landmark and attraction in Ghana. 
> 
> I'd love to hear any feedback you guys have for this. I always appreciate hearing what you think. Honestly, it makes my day. 
> 
> Pic time! 
> 
> The Big Tree:  
> [](https://www.flickr.com/photos/157032205@N05/41191379625/in/dateposted-public/)
> 
> Bucky's view:  
> [](https://www.flickr.com/photos/157032205@N05/41191379285/in/dateposted-public/)
> 
> Bucky's outfit:  
> [](https://www.flickr.com/photos/157032205@N05/41191379425/in/dateposted-public/)
> 
> T'Challa's outfit:  
> [](https://www.flickr.com/photos/157032205@N05/41191379115/in/dateposted-public/)


End file.
